Graduation...Looking for a job?

Interviews and Good Impressions

With graduation around the corner, and the job market being rather tight new graduates need all the "edge" they can get to land a job. To me, some of these tips may seem obvious, but having interviewed many young hopefuls apparently they are not.

• Send out resumes, and don't be afraid to follow up with a phone call.


• Use your connections. Do you know someone who can help you land an interview?


• Do your homework. Learn all you can about the company you are applying to.



• Once you land an appointment, get there on time! I am appalled at how many potential employees show up late for appointments. If you are stuck in traffic, call your contact and explain. That is just common courtesy.



• Dress appropriately and be pressed and clean. Many young people dress too casually for the position they are applying for. If you have doubts, go to the company and watch the folks come out either for lunch, or as they are leaving to go home. Pick your interview clothes accordingly.



• Please, please refrain from perfume and aftershave. Many people are allergic. You want a lingering impression from your dazzling personality; not your trendiest fashion scent.



• Before you walk in to the interview, take a deep breathe and relax. Force yourself to smile; after all your professional career is why you spent all that time in college. Be optimistic and excited!



• Use your interviewers' name, when responding to questions. Look them in the eyes. Keep the interviewer engaged. You are just one in a crowded field. Take positive action to be remembered.



• After the interview, jot off a hand written than you note to the person you interviewed with. Even if you don't get the job, they will remember you and perhaps give your name to someone else who has an opening...or remember you when another position is available. Build your contacts!

Graduating? Need Kentucky Short Term Health Insurance?

Charlie Pinson Insurance KY salutes all Kentucky graduates.

Bulding Kentucky Small Business Goals The importance of a Mission Statement

Thanks for asking

I received an inquiry from a college student in Colorado who works part time at a property casualty agency. He asked several questions about our mission statement.
With permission, I'll share the questions and my opinions and answers.

Here is our Kentucky insurance agent mission statement

Charlie Pinson Insurance is a service-oriented agency driven by sales excellence through client and vendor relations. Based in Pikeville Ky, our market area includes Kentucky and West Virginia. Our multi-line focus includes Commercial and Personal lines, with an emphasis on Kentucky health insurance.

As a family owned business, we believe in a family friendly work environment.
It is our goal to provide clients with the service they deserve and products to fulfill their needs. People make the difference at Charlie Pinson Insurance.

Here's the questions

• 1. Did you have a collaborative team to help you develop a mission statement? If so how was that team chosen?Yes, our statement was a collaborative effort. We established our goals of what we wanted to say; then assigned our copy writer (that's me) the task of sewing the patchwork of ideas together. Like your "scratch" start-up agency, we are small. It was a no-brainer to include all personnel.



• 2. What were some of the steps you used to arrive at your mission statement?First, we established WHY we even needed a mission statement. Our goal was and is, to define our identity for our clients as well as our carriers. Secondly, we were at a defining moment in our growth. Did we want to grow, or did we want to keep the status-quo? We opted for growth; but underlined the paths that had brought us success.



• 3. How long did this process take?We hammered this out in about a week. However, from time to time we revisit our mission statement. New products, new employees, and changes in the market influence who we are and who we strive to be.



• 4. What would you do differently in the process?Not a thing. We sat down and got it down. Don't over think. Don't get bogged down in committee. Put it in writing, and put it out there. It's not written in stone. Change is inevitable.



• 5. Do you feel like your employees are living the mission and vision of your agency? We continually strive to find balance between "service-oriented" and "sales excellence." We are getting there. We always focus on family, and clients.
  
  Our defining statement, "People make the difference at Charlie Pinson" reflects a two-fold philosophy. We believe our staff is one of the best in Kentucky. We also believe our customers are not a policy number. So even though we do business on the internet, as well as in a brick and mortar location, our message is Kentucky people helping Kentucky people. That is what we are all about. So yes, we live the mission and we live the brand.

For my collegiate pen pal in Colorado, I hoped this helped. You may want to check out Troy Korsgaden's "Power Position your Agency." For insurance agents, I think it is one of the best resources for attracting, building, and retaining business. At the moment, my copy is at the house. However, if memory serves Troy had a great section on developing mission statements. I wish you well in your endeavours.

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Joyce Pinson is a Kentucky Health Insurance Agent. With a background in Agricultural Economics, Public Relations, and Marketing she wears many hats (most of them cute) at Charlie Pinson Insurance Agency and it's sister Kentucky Health Insurance Agency, Triple B Insurance.

Kentucky Insurance Agent's Musing the Market

Weathering the Soft Market

Just so we are clear on this, I am a big Louisville Kentucky Derby Fan. I would rather be talking about Kentucky Derby than Kentucky Insurance this week. To solve this conflict, I blogged about the Derby over at Charlie's Kentucky Sports Blog.

So what about this soft market?

National Underwriter  reported yesterday that the soft market could change quicker than expected. In talking with several of our insurance reps, we hear rumors the rates may begin going up again by fall. If one of the big three companies announces rate hikes, the others usually follow.

Being an established Kentucky Insurance agency, we have seen the market go through its cycles. We do not worry like we once did; it's like the weather in Kentucky. If you don't like it today; it will be different tomorrow! LOL

For young agents, soft markets can be tough. Have determination. Make a plan for success and hang in there. Eventually, the pendulum will swing back.

Get Kentucky Insurance Quotes

On the week before Kentucky Derby, it's really hard to concentrate on Kentucky Insurance. Please give me credit for making the effort. If you need a Kentucky Insurance Agent, check out our agency at www.pinsoninsurance.com

KY Insurance Agency salutes our Secretary Heather Stiltner

Happy Secretary Day!

As a Kentucky independent insurance agency,  we get dozens and dozens of calls a day. Figuring out what the client needs, and getting them to the right person is not always an easy task....even in a small agency like ours.

Thank goodness for Heather Stiltner! She is the voice of Charlie Pinson Insurance, when you call our office. Heather can get your insurance quote started, check on your bill, and tell you how to get here. Not only that, but she sings while she works! You gotta love that!

So Healther, keeper of the gate, queen of data entry, and melodious voice behind our phone...we salute you! Thanks for all you do! Happy Secretary's day!

Heather Stiltner is a graduate of Shelby Valley High School. When she is not working in our Kentucky insurance office, she sings with a group called "Downtown Groove." Click to send Heather a Kentucky Auto Insurance Quote request.

Do Independent Agents have a Brand Identity Crisis?

A few "blogs" back, I wrote about branding and queried whether you thought branding was important to insurance agencies. As a Kentucky independent insurance agent, we do not benefit from the national campaigns like lizards or cave men. We even have to battle our own carriers who sell against us on the direct side...all the time telling us how well the independent agents have built their (their being the big insurance company) brand. Ironic isn't it?

So what's in a brand?

Want a good laugh? See our brand ad.

Yesterday, I sat in on a web cast about how consumers use the web. A funny thing. The statistics showed that on Internet click-through mentioning the company brand was not as important as mentioning the product. Consumers do recognize national brands, and if they are "brand-oriented" in that they might be more inclined to do an online quote at a nationally branded site. However, initial searches are based on product.

Some independent agents join clusters and franchises which offer a "brand" of sorts. Our own organization, Independent Insurance Agents of America, charges a fee to use the Trusted Choice brand. But have consumers really heard of Trusted Choice Insurance?

Sam Friedman, over at the P & C National Underwriter blog, opined that perhaps independent insurance agents need an icon.   Sam's blog 
Look at the duck and the lizard. He may be right.

In My Opinion

When the Trusted Choice brand rolled out it was asserted the word "independent" did not test well with consumers, so the Big I logo was put on a back burner in favor of the Trusted Choice Insurance brand.


The "Big I" (Independent Insurance Agents) had a good idea with the Trusted Choice Insurance brand. However, ads to support that brand were chiefly placed in major markets. Mom and Pop agencies in outlying areas did not benefit from any "brand awareness." Truly, when was the last time you saw a Trusted Choice Insurance ad?

Call me "independent" a term I proudly wear. We spent money, time, and energy building our agency brand. I am not always a patient woman, and I just don't have the time to wait for some industry organization to do my branding for me. (I think that's why they call me "independent")

Independent insurance agents need to do a better job of branding and PR. When it comes right down to it, in small town Kentucky, it's still all about the agent...and the agent IS the brand.

Yes, if Big I or a franchise stepped up and really achieved "brand awareness" it would be a great day for all independent insurance agents. Until then, you the agent are in control. Build your brand. Service your clients. Don't take yourself too seriously. Make building a brand a game and have fun doing it.

___

Joyce Pinson  is a Kentucky independent health insurance agent. (That's me) In addition to being an agent, I do marketing and public relations for Charlie Pinson Insurance. The posting above is my opinion, not our agency's. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

New Magazine for Independent Insurance Agents

If you are like me, and hundreds of other Kentucky Independent Insurance Agents, you recieve tons and tons of industry magazines. I dutifully go through most of the articles, sticking post-its on various items for each of our agents. Guess you could say I am the designated "reader" for the agency. Maybe just "PHD" for "Piled High and Deeper" desk????

Well, today a new magazine called Powerful Connections happened into my office. I did not pay a subscription fee, so I assume it is being offered free of charge. Produced by Agency Specialty Product Network Insurance Agency, Inc. the magazine comes out twice a year.

We do not currently do business with the agency, so please don't think I am endorsing them. However, I can tell you the magazine is a dandy. Cover stories include Advice to give your clients to plan for a disaster, Subprime Mortgages, and Alternatives to Health Insurance.

Oddly enough, or maybe not so oddly if you know me, the articles I enjoyed most were not the cover leads. I liked the profile of Gillis, Ellis, and Baker a Louisiana insurance agency, the article on "Going Green" and an article on "Deskercise." There was a terrific piece on phone etiquette and another directed at young agents that was well worth the read.

The layout of the magazine makes it easy to browse, and the sidebars give you more information if you want to do more than just breeze through a topic. It's fun, it's hip...and you just don't get to say that too much about an insurance industry magazine.

Check out www.askaspn.com to see about subscribing to this new magazine for independent insurance agents.

Remember I don't know this company, but I do know a cool magazine when I see it!

So you want to be an KY Independent Insurance Agent

We recently hosted a group of vetran insurance agents here at the office; for the purpose of completing the state mandated continuing education classes.

On this particuliar day, we had a young couple join the group. I say young, because the rest of us are pushing the big 5-0 or sliding right on by it! Anyway, we listened to the young folks talk enthusiastically about growing their business. We all smiled.

The topic of conversation then turned to, "If you were a young person today, would you launch a career as an independent insurance agent?" The crowd had mixed emotions.

It's hard to start an agency from scratch. If you do not have experience, it is hard to get insurance companies to let you write business. If you live in certain regions of Kentucky, many companies will not do business with you PERIOD. Startup costs, including investments in technology, can be cost prohibitive.

On the other hand, a young person starting out might go to work for a larger agency or conglomerate. Looking at our group, several were alumni of life insurance companies here in Kentucky. They agreed, their life insurance sales on a debit, certainly better prepared them for life as an independent insurance agent. (We did not have any captive agents in our group)

Many reflected on the nature of our industry. Like many industries, insurance goes in cycles. Sometimes the market is "soft," with premiums priced so low cash flow gets stymied. Sometimes it is a "hard" market, where agents with the right products at the right price point can make a good living. Being a successful insurance agent means working hard and working smart....no matter what the market conditions are.

We "old-timers" lamented about the diminished personal contacts and relationships that used to exist between agents and the companies they represent. Insurance carriers continue to scale back on service reps, who once upon a time served as mentors and the "go-to" folks, when there were questions or challenging cases. Today, more often than not agents are refered to a website or directed to some phone clone who you never met, and who cannot understand those of us with a Kentucky drawl. (How y'all doin?)

So the question remains, if we had it to do all over again, would we become insurance agents today? While we all agreed we had endured some lean times, all but one said they would do it again. While some doors of opportunity have closed, other doors have opened. New cluster groups like Smart Choice Agents program can give "newbies" a leg up, as they begin their insurance careers. New products like long-term care are providing new revenue streams. In the future, tech savvy agents might find all kinds of new sales venues online and through video conferencing. It's a brave new world.

So, there is alot to think about. But, as for the folks in our agency, the answer is a resounding "YES!" It's not always an easy road, but being an independent insurance agent is a satisfying and rewarding career. If you treat your clients right and do a good job of underwriting the risk, in the big scheme of things you will find success.

To learn about the licensing process for Kentucky Insurance Agents refer to the Kentucky Office of Insurance site.

Disclaimer: Following links from this posting does not constitute endorsement of products or services. Seek out career counselors, lawyers and accountants to help you determine your career path and develop a business plan.